Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1887-12-15
Breeding Swine for Nigor.
Practical Farmer.


The best pigs and hogs of the present
day are improvements mainly in early
maturity, fineness OF bone and tendency
to lay on fat These qualities are neces-
sary, but hardness, vigor of constitution
and large milk producing capacity are
almost as important for breeding ami
mails as the points that go to make the
fanciers' pig. Hence it is a common
experience with farmers who introduce
improved blood in their herds by pur-
chasing fine boned bears TO discover
that their grades are superior II size
and thrift to the thoroughbrecs. This
is no argument against purity in breeding
but the reverse. One side at least should
be thoroughbred or we can not depend
on getting first class grades. The farmel
who took thrifty boar from his litter
of half bloods is sure to be disappointed
in the result. portion of the progeny
will breed back and the rants will be apt
to inherit the defects OF both parents.
The fact that while for growing and
fattening, high grades are better than
pure bred pigs explains why it is proper
that the breeder who carefully keeps his
pigs dp to the standard of purity should
receive more for pure bred pig than it
would be worth to fatteu and kill. I'm
less a farmer desires himself TO go into
the business of breeding thoroughbred
stock, he need get only male TO cross
with his common sows. These, if large
bodied and slab-sided, will bring more
and better pigs, and give them more
milk that sows of the highly improved
breeds. In fact IN the West farmers
have generally cultivated those breeds
like Poland China, Berkshire AID Jersey
Red, which have not so much Aneness al
vigor and constitution, and are in these
respects more suitable for breeding than
the ESSEX, Suffolk and small Yorkshire.
The prevalent habit of breeding from
only very young sows has tendency TO
detract from the vigor of their offspring.
A SOW should not be allowed to have pigs
until ] 6 months old, and if she proves a
good, careful mother, she should be re-
tanned as breeder two, three or more
years, or so long as she is tractable. Old
sows are apt TO become cross unruly or
get into the habit of eating their offspring,
in which case they should be got rid of as
soon as possible. But other things being
equal, the pigs from a 2 or 3year old SOW
will be worth nearly double, at weeks old,
what the immature sows will bring. Be-
fore year old the entire energies of
breeding SOW should be applied to build
ing up her own frame. If she has to bear
pigs within this period, there is a check
TO vitality that is not often recovered. a
young SOW will have but few pigs as rule,
and all above five had better be destroyed.
Keep her from breeding until after she is
year old, making the pigs come at 16
months, and the SOW will carry and rear
as large a litter as she ever will.
For many reasons it is best to have the
first litter come when there is abundance
of green food, so as TO encourage a large
flow of milk. Grain or meal should be add
cd so soon as the SOW is past danger from
fever; but for milk production oats are
better than the more fattening corn. In
most cases it is better for farmers to have
their litters of pigs come early in the
spring, so that they may reach profitable
weight for fattening before cold weather.
The sows from a litter of fall pigs
can be readily bred so as to first farrow
the spring after they are year old, say
at Is to 1S months. If, however, breed
ers are saved from litters there will be
strong temptation to breed at or g
months so as to drop their first litter at
a years age or a little less. 1t is true
that sows with pigs at this age bring
good prices and heavy proft on cost of
keeping, but the prevalence of this habit
of breeding from immature animals is
one reason why so many farmers fail to
make profit from swine.